First published: January 8, 2016
URL to video: https://youtu.be/ehR0nNXd1EI
Purdue’s College of Technology announced in May 2015 that the college would be renamed the Purdue Polytechnic Institute. After we got through the first several months of publicity about the new name and the need for change, we decided to create a video to promote the college. We intentionally chose to focus on the Polytechnic’s learning environment, unique role at the University, and history rather than reciting our degree programs and other present-day facts. Our hope was that the video would provide an emotional connection to the college, despite changes which weren’t popular in all constituencies.
Why this is a favorite: Although I had been a College of Technology staffer for more than a year, my position had only been folded into the Office of Marketing Communications team for a few months when we decided to create this video. Creating the concept for this project was a team effort, but I was the lead writer for the script and did the bulk of the work on the project. I filmed about 80 percent of the footage and acquired the remainder from friends, partners, and newsreels. We wanted a woman to do the voiceover, so I directed my friend Cathy at a recording session in my office. This was one of my first significant scripted, purely promotional video projects for the college. It was a huge amount of work, but I was very pleased with the result. As a bonus, the dean and many faculty gave it good reviews. At this writing, two and a half years later, the video’s overall tone and message is holding up very well.
